The Discrimination Thread

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tdgeek

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#284150 3-Apr-2021 18:55

Unsure if I should create this.Posts do pop up in various forums/threads.

Whats gets me is this

https://www.stuff.co.nz/national/300268714/joe-wheeler-fake-accent-race-relations-commissoner-condemns-mockery-as-hurtful-unacceptable

And we get the same old boring comments. Employer *** says this is not us. Employee *** says this is not me, I apologise.

Thats it as usual.

You will never solve discrimination issues if they are treated weakly. All you are saying is don't say that in public, but if you do, its not that bad. Its just encouraging and reinforcing the underbelly. It doesn't help to slowly resolve the issue, it keeps it simmering and alive

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#2686091 3-Apr-2021 19:01

I guess people like to bury their head in the sand rather than fix the underlying issues...same old really

tdgeek

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#2686092 3-Apr-2021 19:10

snnet:

I guess people like to bury their head in the sand rather than fix the underlying issues...same old really

Yeah. Its sad really. Its hardly a niche or edge topic. Maybe it is as most of the downtrodden are minorities of some sort. Its good to be part of a being that can land on comets or meteors and take samples and bring them back. But we still make fun of people for many reasons. What a great animal species.

cruxis

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#2686104 3-Apr-2021 20:37

Impersonation of accents happens alot in comedy TV shows like 7 days comes to mind. Australian and British ones most often. Will race relations commisioner speak out then when it returns to TV.

networkn

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#2686107 3-Apr-2021 21:11

So, what would you like to have happen to him? Shall we draw and quarter him? Perhaps a public whipping? Sack him? Make sure he never works in TV again?

People make mistakes. He didn't say it wasn't him, he acknowledged he may have hurt or offended people, said he needs to do better. I'd expect him to not make that mistake again, I suspect he will be spending some time getting some education. Isn't that what we want? For people to call out the behaviour publically, for people to learn it's unacceptable, and for people to do better going forward? If he made the same mistake again, then the consequences should be signiifcantly higher than the original punishment.

What he said was unacceptable, it's been acknowledged by the offender, and his employer. So long as he learns from it, then surely, that's the important thing? So long as no-one is saying it's acceptable, then we are making progress.

If you fire him, he goes away, the issue is 'dealt' with. What has more value is someone admitting a mistake, showing an attempt to learn from it, and doing better, in the light of day.

MikeB4

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#2686108 3-Apr-2021 21:13

cruxis:
Impersonation of accents happens alot in comedy TV shows like 7 days comes to mind. Australian and British ones most often. Will race relations commisioner speak out then when it returns to TV.

There is a difference between an actor and an ignorant sports commentator breaking Wheatons law. It was clearly racist

MikeB4

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#2686110 3-Apr-2021 21:15

@networkn he should be fired. Racism should never be tolerated. As a shareholder I will be writing to the board.

freitasm

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#2686116 3-Apr-2021 21:37

This is the thing. Racists, when called out, come with "This isn't me."

Well, it is.

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networkn

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#2686118 3-Apr-2021 21:46

The chances of him learning from this, are greatly improved if he remains employed, education mandatory, and him having to think about how he interacts going forward. Every day at work he thinks about it.

You can sack him, he sulks, no mandatory education, he is more careful about what he says in his new job, but he never really learns why what he said was unacceptable, and the cycle continues.

I've shared how I feel about this particular thing, No point in repeating myself. I can already predict the next x pages. I'm out.

Eva888

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#2686169 3-Apr-2021 22:18

My husband after so many years still has a strong accent and our kids and friends often joke at the way he says some words. He is never offended because it’s done affectionately and often his pronunciation is rather hilarious. IMHO there needs to be context.The emotion and facial expression used when someone jokes about an accent is what really counts. Smiling warmly and giving a pat on the back as they jest about a word is not offensive but a foul look and sneeringly repeating the word wrong is.
So really...discrimination is just a fancier word for being nasty to people for a plethora of reasons.

With respect to the current demands of speaking another’s language correctly, it’s never going to happen. An Irishman, Japanese or Frenchman etc can't be patronised because of the way they say Paraparaumu or whatever, rather it should be accepted as their individualism and the constraints of their own native tongue. It’s not an insult to mispronounce words and I wish that expectation would end, because it’s also discriminatory.

Meanwhile I admit to swooning a little when my charming French neighbour speaks.

MikeB4

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#2686192 4-Apr-2021 07:25

Any toleration of racism will allow the disease to fester and grow.

mrdrifter

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#2686196 4-Apr-2021 07:50

Might as well just close and lock this thread now.

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#2686201 4-Apr-2021 08:04

Wheeler apologised to Himeno, Himeno accepted the apology.

Wheeler and his employer will need to sort things out,

Why is any of this my business?

tdgeek

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#2686203 4-Apr-2021 08:06

mrdrifter: Might as well just close and lock this thread now.

Why is that? Opposing views on discrimination?

tdgeek

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#2686204 4-Apr-2021 08:07

Or maybe it could be closed, it's certainly been answered.

MikeB4

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#2686209 4-Apr-2021 08:31

This was done on a national TV network. It is not just between two people or with Sky. If sanctions are not imposed then this give approval in the minds of racists. As I said toleration or apparent toleration feeds the racists. .Toleration of racism is throughout our society and in GZ. Minimum he should be suspended but he should be fired.

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